Career Summary

Biography

I am an expert in cave and karst studies,karst hydrogeology, carbon dioxide and carbon isotopes in karst settings, trace element incorporation in continental carbonates, as well as paleoclimate reconstruction from speleothems and other continental carbonates. I am particularly interested in investigating the environmental and climate significance of calcium carbonate fabrics including bio-mediated fabrics such as moonmilk, calcareous tufa and calcite coralloids.In my multidisciplinary research I utilise a variety of methodological and analytical approaches including cave and soil monitoring, optical and electron microscopy, high-resolution imaging, LA-ICP-MS trace element analyses, stable and radiogenic isotopes. I pioneered the application of Synchrotron Radiation micro-X-Ray Fluorescence and XANES techniques to continental carbonates, and I became the world-leader in detecting sulphur and other volcanogenic and anthropogenic elements in continental carbonates.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Milan - Italy

Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Milan - Italy

Keywords

Carbonate Geochemistry

Carbonate Mineralogy

Hydrochemistry

Karst

Palaeoclimate

Speleothems

Synchrotron Radiation XRF

Languages

Italian (Mother)

English (Fluent)

French (Working)

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

040605

Palaeoclimatology

40

040306

Mineralogy and Crystallography

20

040202

Inorganic Geochemistry

40

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title

Organisation / Department

Senior Research Associate

University of NewcastleSchool of Environmental and Life SciencesAustralia

Sulphate concentrations in speleothems identify major volcanic eruptions, provide useful information on soil and aquifer dynamics and, in similar fashion to the &lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/... [more]

Sulphate concentrations in speleothems identify major volcanic eruptions, provide useful information on soil and aquifer dynamics and, in similar fashion to the <sup>14</sup>C bomb peak, its Anthropocene peak can be used to date recent cave formations. However, the transmission of S from the atmosphere to cave dripwater and its incorporation in speleothems is subjected to biogeochemical cycling and accurate studies of each cave site are needed in order to assess how the S atmospheric signal is modified and eventually encoded in speleothems. This study investigates the role of biogeochemical cycling and aquifer hydrology by utilising published and new dripwater and speleothem data from Grotta di Ernesto (ER) in northern Italy. Here we provide the first long-term record of sulphate concentration in cave dripwater based on over 20 years of measurements. Fast drip site st-ER1 is characterised by a continuous decrease in SO<inf>4</inf> concentration from a high of 7.5Â±0.8mg/l in 1993-1994 to a low of 2.2Â±0.2mg/l in 2013-2014, and replicates with a delay of ~15 years the decline in the atmospheric SO<inf>2</inf> emissions. The S-series of slow flow ER78 site is further delayed by ~4.5 years in relation to the S retention in the aquifer matrix. The dripwater data are used to extend the previously published S record (1810-1998 AD) of stalagmite ER78 and reconstruct the anthropogenic S-peak: this displays a delay of ~20 years with respect to the atmospheric S emission peak due to biogeochemical cycling and aquifer storage. However, sulphur recycling above the cave did not operate with the same degree of efficiency through time, which resulted in a variable time delay between S deposition and incorporation into the stalagmite. In the pre-Anthropocene era, and in particular during the cold Little Ice Age, biogeochemical cycling was far less efficient than today, and the fast transmission of the atmospheric signal allowed capture of S released during major volcanic eruptions by stalagmites.

In 1993, a fossil hominin skeleton was discovered in the karst caves of Lamalunga, near Altamura, in southern Italy. Despite the fact that this specimen represents one of the most... [more]

In 1993, a fossil hominin skeleton was discovered in the karst caves of Lamalunga, near Altamura, in southern Italy. Despite the fact that this specimen represents one of the most extraordinary hominin specimens ever found in Europe, for the last two decades our knowledge of it has been based purely on the documented on-site observations. Recently, the retrieval from the cave of a fragment of bone (part of the right scapula) allowed the first dating of the individual, the quantitative analysis of a diagnostic morphological feature, and a preliminary paleogenetic characterization of this hominin skeleton from Altamura. Overall, the results concur in indicating that it belongs to the hypodigm of Homo neanderthalensis, with some phenetic peculiarities that appear consistent with a chronology ranging from 172Â±15ka to 130.1Â±1.9ka. Thus, the skeleton from Altamura represents the most ancient Neanderthal from which endogenous DNA has ever been extracted.

In the past decade a new approach to cartography and mapping of Quaternary continental deposits allowed the abandonment of the now obsolete &quot;classical model&quot; by Penck &... [more]

In the past decade a new approach to cartography and mapping of Quaternary continental deposits allowed the abandonment of the now obsolete "classical model" by Penck & BrÃ¼ckner (1909), which was based on four major glaciations. The new approach utilizes stratigraphic units, which are bounded by discontinuities and defined by following glacial and/or hydrographic basins, framed within a relative chronological scale (Allostratigraphic Units and Unconformity-bounded stratigraphic units). The present paper, which synthesizes different approaches to Quaternary continental stratigraphy, proposes a definition of the terminology used in the Alpine area, in order to make clear the significance of each term, and assess its proper use. The terms Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), post-glacial, and Pre-LGM are here discussed in detail. The term LGM indicates the last local glacial maximum, without any reference to stratigraphic and chronostratigraphic units. The term post-glacial is used to indicate the events which followed the last local glacial expansion. The term Pre-LGM indicates the events that preceded the last local glacial maximum. Furthermore, we here discuss some of the problems of classification that arise following the use of the new terminology, and suggest possible cartographic solutions.

Flowstones and coatings consisting of biogenic moonmilk and calcareous tufa are commonly associated with macrocrystalline speleothems in several caves of the Trento Province. Biog... [more]

Flowstones and coatings consisting of biogenic moonmilk and calcareous tufa are commonly associated with macrocrystalline speleothems in several caves of the Trento Province. Biogenic moonmilk is most common in caves located at middle to high elevation, from 1400 m a.s.l.up to the timberline (1900-2000 m), whereas calcareous tufa flowstones occur in caves set at low and middle elevation, from the valley bottom up to the upper limit of the deciduous forest (1400-1500 m). Most of these flowstones are fossil and exhibit evidences of erosion. 14 C dating on both moonmilk and calcareous tufa, and U/Th dating on associated macrocrystalline stalagmites, allowed for the recognition of three depositional phases which can be correlated with the following environmental and climatic events at the surface: (1) - Between 12,000 and 9,000 year B.P., macrocrystalline and calcareous tufa speleothems started to form in caves at low elevation. (2) - Between 9,000 and 5,000 year B.P., the maximum deposition of moonmilk flowstones and, probably, of calcareous tufa flowstones, occurred. This time span corresponds to the Holocene climatic optimum, i.e. to an increase in both temperature and precipitation that promoted intense pedogenesis and the consequent increase in carbonate dissolution above the cave and speleothem precipitation within the caves. (3) - At about 5,000 B.P. moonmilk deposition stopped in caves located at high-altitude. This event corresponds to a dramatic drop in calcareous tufa deposition in low-altitude caves and is probably related to an abrupt climatic deterioration and strong soil erosion at the surface.

The present work has been performed in the framework of the research project AQUAPAST. The main focus of AQUAPAST is the reconstruction of past climate changes in the atmospheric ... [more]

The present work has been performed in the framework of the research project AQUAPAST. The main focus of AQUAPAST is the reconstruction of past climate changes in the atmospheric circulation and in particular in the water vapour transport mechanism over the Mediterranean area starting from the analysis of the isotopic content of cave speleothemes in the Trentino Province (North-East of Italy). A Lagrangian methodology for the reconstruction and the analysis of the airstreams which govern the transport of water vapour has been applied to recent events. The average monthly isotopic signal of the precipitation water sampled in stations located in key geographic settings in the Province of Trento is used as tracer to infer the origin of the precipitating water and to validate Lagrangian analysis. A comparison between the isotopic signal of November 2002 and November 2003 is here presented, as most of the yearly precipitation falls in November over the Eastern Alps. Hypotheses are proposed about the meteorological factors (e.g. monthly averaged sea surface temperature atmospheric circulation, etc.) determining different isotopic signal in the two years.

Research Collaborations

The map is a representation of a researchers co-authorship with collaborators across the globe. The map displays the number of publications against a country, where there is at least one co-author based in that country. Data is sourced from the University of Newcastle research publication management system (NURO) and may not fully represent the authors complete body of work.